Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Isowen sat down at Gaius's work table and placed the scroll down in front of her. The old man looked at her quizzically from where he was working on crushing potion ingredients. He had not expected to be visited by the young woman so soon after she had begun to live in Camelot. No, he had assumed that she would have sought his apprentice out for any problem she might have. Yet here she was, pushing a rolled up piece of parchment towards him expectantly.

He took the scroll hesitantly. The girl just stared at him, waiting for him to read the words that were penned on the scroll. Carefully, Gaius unrolled the scroll and read the prophecy that dictated Isowen's fate. When he finished, he rolled the parchment back up and slid it back across the table to its owner.

"The prophecy speaks for itself." He said carefully. Gaius was rather unsure as to why Isowen had chosen him to share such important information with, nor did he know what she needed to hear.

The girl shook her head. "I know that. I am just unsure as to what I need to do." She sighed heavily, causing some herbs to scuttle across the table. "You and Merlin are the only ones here that I can feel I can trust, seeing as you two are the only ones whom I have yet encountered with magic."

Gaius raised an eyebrow at this information. "Why don't you ask Merlin for his opinion? Surely he can give you far better advice than I can."

She shook her head."How could I possibly ask him about this? I know for a fact that he is Emrys," Gaius looked ready to interrupt, but Isowen just continued speaking, "I've known since we first met. Heaven knows you can't tell a person you've just met that they are a part of your destiny. He would surely think that I have gone mad!"

The door suddenly slammed open to reveal a very muddy and disgruntled Merlin. Isowen groaned quietly; he had simply horrid timing.

"One of these days I sear I am going to send him into the pigs' pen. Goodness knows he could use the lesson." Merlin grumbled. From the inflection placed on the word 'him', Isowen could easily place the source of the poor lad's state: Arthur.

Merlin looked up and caught sight of Isowen, who was clad in a deep purple dress that only enhanced the color of her eyes. He blushed as the thought crossed his mind that the sorceress before him was by far the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes on him. Much to his relief, the mud covered the redness of his cheeks from sight.

Muttering a few words, Isowen pointed a finger at Merlin. Her eyes flashed silver and suddenly the young warlock was as clean as if he had just freshly bathed. Isowen smiled lightly.

"We can't have you tracking mud all over the place, now can we? It would only add to your workload." She said teasingly.

"And we can't have you using magic all the time." Gaius reprimanded her. "Even if you are a guest, you would likely be arrested and killed if someone found out that you have magic."

Isowen looked down at her hands. "I know, but I was raised to use magic for even some of the littlest things. I know when not to use it, but you can't expect me to easily relinquish it. It is as much a part of me as my own body is." She spoke quietly and yet defiantly. She was a magical being and nothing could ever change that. Surely these two men would be able to understand that.

"Leave her be." Merlin spoke. Isowen's head popped up in surprise at the defensive tone in his voice. Gaius too seemed surprised at his ward's readiness to defend the girl. "I use magic all the time and have never actually gotten into too much trouble. Some close calls, yeah, but nothing too serious."

Gaius was about to say something in retaliation when Merlin cut him off. "Arthur gave me the afternoon off. Something must have gotten into his brain and actually did him some good for once." He gave a small chuckle and looked at Isowen. "Anyway, I figured that since I have the time, I might as well show you around Camelot a bit... If you want to that is." A blush crept back up to his cheeks and ears as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sure. Er, I mean, that would be nice. Thank you." Isowen felt heat crawl up her face as she accepted Merlin's invitation.

Merlin grinned. He briefly thought that the pink twinge in her cheeks made the young woman even more attractive than before, bringing color to her otherwise fairly pale complexion.

Isowen stood up and brushed nonexistent crumbs off her skirt. "I do hope that we will continue our conversation later." She said pointedly to Gaius as she walked out the door with a still blushing Merlin.

The door shut and Gaius shook his head with a smile. It was obvious that the two were destined for each other as Isowen's prophecy stated. They just needed time and perhaps a little push to get there.

"I'm sorry about last night. I have this bad habit of putting myself in places I don't belong." Isowen said as she and Merlin walked into the stables.

He shook his head lightly. "I would have done the same thing. Gaius can tell you just how many times I've gotten myself into trouble because I was curious about something." He said with a light laugh.

Changing the topic, Isowen asked Merlin, "Why exactly are we going to the stables? I thought you said we were going to go around Camelot." There was a twinkle in her violet eyes that suggested that she knew better.

"I...uh...I thought you might like to go for a ride in the forest. It really is nice around this time of year." He stumbled though his words awkwardly. Isowen giggled, finding his clumsiness to be rather endearing.

"I would love to see it. I'm sure it is every bit as lovely as you say it is. "She replied with a soft smile. Merlin gave a lopsided grin in return, reminding Isowen very much of a puppy she once had that wanted nothing more than to make everyone it met happy. It was quite adorable.

He led her over to a silvery grey horse that stood as if it was ready to leave its stall. As Merlin saddled the animal Isowen approached the horse with awe written plainly across her face.

"Is he yours?"

Merlin shook his head. "No, he's one of the extras. You'll be riding him." He laughed as the girl let out a delighted squeal.

As Isowen gracefully mounted the horse, Merlin clambered onto his own bay horse. Isowen giggled slightly at his clumsiness. He gave another goofy grin as he led Isowen's horse out of the stables. They rode though the city, receiving a few odd looks from the townspeople who were familiar with Merlin. One person in particular stared after the pair with a knowing smirk, though neither Isowen nor Merlin took note.

Once outside, Isowen spurred her steed into a gallop. Merlin followed suit a moment after. He puzzled over how the girl could conceal just how much energy she possessed – and not just the magical kind. She was like the wind; calm at one moment and a whirlwind the next. It was confusing and fascinating all at once. Not for the first time, Merlin found himself drawn to the sorceress who had already caused so much change in his life. There was something about her that seemed familiar, as if they had met long before.

Isowen looked behind her and grinned at Merlin. She turned back around and cantered into the forest, Merlin trailing behind her. She slowed down and looked around in bliss. The forest truly was beautiful, even more so than the one that had bordered her own small village. Indeed, even in autumn a vast majority of the trees here still held onto their leaves, though they had already changed to vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges. Isowen thought about just how much her life had changed in two short days, much like how the leaves had quickly changed from green to yellow. Just the other day she had been sitting in the cottage that she shared with guardian, studying spells like usual. Now she was in Camelot with a destiny to fulfill. If it was anyone else they would surely have already broke down, but Isowen was stronger than that. She had always been one to take everything in stride, no matter the situation.

There was a shout from behind her, causing Isowen to turn around and spot a snake on the ground between her and Merlin, and Merlin's horse pawing the air in fright with him clinging desperately to the reigns.

"Briah!" Isowen shouted with her hand stretched toward at the offensive serpent. Her eyes flashed silver and the reptile was engulfed in flames that refused to cling to anything but its scaly body. Soon it was no more than a burnt carcass in the middle of the path.

Merlin looked at the girl in surprise. He had not expected her to use fire of all things to eliminate the snake, though it was rather quite effective.

"Ah, Isowen..." He called to the dark haired girl. She turned to look at him. "You know, you really didn't need to set it on fire like that."

Isowen stopped her horse and waited momentarily for Merlin to catch up whilst she shrugged at his words. "Yes, I did. Serpents are often the servants of dark sorcerers. Besides, I am not a fan of snakes to begin with."

Merlin looked at her quizzically. He was relatively familiar with Morgana's preference for snakes as decoys, though he felt no magic aside from his own and his companion's in the vicinity. Perhaps it was simply a fear of snakes that had made Isowen set the creature on fire, though he had seen no fear on her face as she looked at the serpent. He shrugged, letting the matter drop for now as they continued their ride through the forest.

Maybe one day he would learn all there was to know about this intriguing young woman who he felt inexplicably drawn to.

A/N: Another chapter done. I hope ya'll liked it. Please review.